The Role of Parenting Styles and Sex Differences in Adolescents’ Depression

Abstract

Adolescence is characterized by several psychosocial challenges which are influenced by factors at the individual, family, community and societal levels. Depression is common among adolescents and as result, there is the need to identify factors that influence the level of depression among adolescents. This study examined whether parenting styles significantly influence adolescents’ depression and whether significant sex differences exist between male and female adolescents in their depression. A total of 120 students (60 males and 60 females) were selected from four Senior High Schools in the Kassena-Nankana district in the Upper East Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted and the participants were administered demographic questionnaire, Parental Authority Questionnaire and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC). Results from the analysis using the Pearson correlation showed that Authoritarian and Permissive parenting styles were significantly and positively correlated with adolescents’ depression. However, authoritative parenting style is negatively correlated with adolescents’ depression. Further analysis using the t-test for independent samples showed that male adolescents reported significantly higher depression than female adolescents. It is concluded that adolescents’ depression level is significantly influenced by parenting styles and sex differences.